The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Sunday Times reports that ST Microelectronics Malta is to lay off 60% of its workforce (1,200 workers) over a number of years as part of a downsizing exercise. It also reports the UHM saying that Infrastructure Minister Austin Gatt should resign if the workings of the utility tariffs are wrong.
The Malta Independent on Sunday says a third of Nationalist MPs are in rebellion over the government’s support for plans for the underground extension of St John’s Co-Cathedral Museum.
MaltaToday says Dr Gonzi is having to bow to opposition within the PN to the museum extension, but he is still defending Richard Cachia Caruana, the government representative on the St John Co-Cathedral Foundation, who backs the project. Meanwhile the Cathedral Chapter has taken a secret vote on the project, although the outcome is not known. The newspaper also reports that hedging of oil prices is expected to mean a $30m loss for Enemalta in the coming months.
It-Torca leads with the call by 11 trade unions for the resources regulator to resign after the ‘u-turn’ made by the Malta Resources Authority on the revision of utility tariffs. It also says there is uncertainty at ST Microelectronics following the announcement of plans for downsizing.
Il-Mument says the World Economic Forum has ranked Malta’s primary education system among the best in the world. It also carries an interview with Social Policy Minister John Dalli. In another story, it says that PL General Secretary Jason Micallef is strengthening himself within the party.
Illum says the Labour Party is set to lose a number of clubs when the rent reform law comes into force. It also reports that political commentator Godfrey Grima is backing Labour EP candidate Marlene Mizzi.
KullHadd also reports on divisions within the PN parliamentary group and carries a story about an ADT employee given a golden handshake to leave the authority.
The Press in Britain…
The Sunday Telegraph leads with the story that ministers are drawing up plans for a draconian ban on MPs having any outside earnings in the wake of a series of parliamentary scandals.
The Mail On Sunday claims to have uncovered that the Labour peer at the heart of the Lords sleaze row has secret links to Soviet Russia.
The Sunday Times says that under reforms being drawn up by Justice Secretary Jack Straw, Lord Archer and Lord Black are among seven peers to be expelled from the House of Lords for having avoided tax or having criminal conviction.
As the Sunday Express tells its readers to "Blame Brown" for the British workers’ row over the use of foreign labour, Gordon Brown has condemned the wildcat strikes as "indefensible". He said he recognised people were "worried" about jobs being taken by foreigners, but stressed that the UK was part of a "single European market".
The Independent on Sunday says Peter Mandelson has enraged unions by suggesting British protesters can go and work elsewhere in Europe if they are unhappy.
The Sunday Mirror says celebrity chef Gordon Ramsay has enraged viewers with the amount of bad language he uses in his show, swearing every 20 seconds.
Metro reports that singing hopeful Jade Ewen has been chosen to represent the UK in the forthcoming Eurovision Song Contest. The 21-year-old wowed BBC viewers with a heartfelt version of Lord Andrew Lloyd Webber's song “My Time” penned especially for the show.
And elsewhere…
Pravda reports that thousands of people have taken to the streets in Moscow and Russia's far east to protest against the Kremlin's economic policies in the midst of the worsening economic climate. Meanwhile, several thousand supporters of the United Russia party, which is headed by Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, held counter demonstrations.
La Tribune de Geneve says riot police have fired tear gas and water cannons at bottle-throwing demonstrators in Geneva protesting against the annual World Economic Forum which took place this week in the Swiss resort town of Davos.
The Washington Times quotes President Barack Obama praising Iraq's peaceful provincial elections held yesterday and called them an "important step for the future of the country". Polls were held in 14 of the country's 18 provinces and ended without any reports of major incidents.
East African Standard says dozens of people are reported to have been killed in Kenya when an oil spill from a crashed truck burst into flames. After the truck ran off the road near the central town of Molo, people crowded round the vehicle in the hope of salvaging petrol. It is thought a lit cigarette caused the fire killing around 50 people and injuring more than 80.
The Sunday Age reports that a record-breaking heatwave has claimed a number of lives, sparked widespread power cuts and seen dozens of homes destroyed by wildfires.
The Jerusalem Post says Palestinian militants have fired a rocket from Gaza that landed close to the southern town of Ashkelon. An Israeli military spokesman said it was the first rocket fired from Gaza since Thursday.
Jamhuuriya leads with the swearing-in of the moderate Islamist leader Sheikh Sharif Ahmed as Somalia’s president following a secret ballot. He won a majority of the votes in a second-round run-off.
The Washington Post says members of the US Republican National Committee elected their first African-American party chief, choosing former Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele to chair the organization after six tumultuous rounds of voting.
Kenya’s Daily Nation reports the half-brother of Barack Obama has been held over alleged possession of marijuana near his home in Nairobi.
Anchorage Daily News says residents are stocking up on protective eyewear and masks as scientists in Alaska warned a volcanic eruption of Mount Redoubt is imminent.
The Times of Central Asia claims that the president of Turkmenistan has ordered members of his government to go back to school or lose their jobs.
USA Today says an Ohio man has been jailed for 16 years after he admitted disciplining his children with a dog collar which gives electric shocks. The judge compared the punishments to torture and said the case sounded “like something from Guantanamo Bay”.
San Francisco Chronicle reports the birth of an incredibly rare baby boy – he has six-fully formed and functional fingers and toes on his hands and feet. Bay Area doctors say they've never seen a case so remarkable.